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Re: Royce White refuses D league

I find it hard to believe that it's because he has a bad attitude. You don't throw about millions of dollars, and the chance for tens of millions because you have a bad attitude.

It has already been explained to you. He's not taking responsibility for his actions/problems. He even went so far as to actually say these words: In hindsight of the recent tragedies in this country, that had mental illness variables, you would think it would encourage people to act more proactively in that arena. To me that's the very definition of having deluded yourself so badly into thinking that your problems are always the fault of some external force. "You would think," he says, because it's always someone else that has failed him. In the end he needs to focus on what he can control. He can't control how proactive the national culture is when it comes to addressing mental health. He can't control how the Rockets behave. He's got external-itis.

You seem to think that such behavior goes right along with being mentally ill, but IMO that isn't quite right. What's "hard to understand" about mental illness is how for White, stepping onto a plane can feel to him like he's stepping into a warzone, and how no amount of "just do it" or "suck it up" can make planes not feel like absolute hell for him. (Just using the plane thing as an example - I get that his thing is larger than that.) It's the triggers and the mental dysfunction that's really hard to grasp for those that have not dealt with it. Simple evasion of responsibility and accountability is not hard to grasp - you see this every day, from all kinds of people. That actually is very mundane, and very old.

As for throwing away millions - people have thrown away far more than that in the name of not accepting responsibility. I don't know why it'd be any different for White. And even then, I'm not sure whether I'd say he's throwing it away because of this. Even in a best-case scenario for White in terms of his health, maybe life in the NBA just isn't to his temperament. I don't think there's anything wrong with that. Perhaps it's just a bad fit for him.

Re: Royce White refuses D league

It has already been explained to you. He's not taking responsibility for his actions/problems. He even went so far as to actually say these words: In hindsight of the recent tragedies in this country, that had mental illness variables, you would think it would encourage people to act more proactively in that arena. To me that's the very definition of having deluded yourself so badly into thinking that your problems are always the fault of some external force. "You would think," he says, because it's always someone else that has failed him. In the end he needs to focus on what he can control. He can't control how proactive the national culture is when it comes to addressing mental health. He can't control how the Rockets behave. He's got external-itis.

You seem to think that such behavior goes right along with being mentally ill, but IMO that isn't quite right. What's "hard to understand" about mental illness is how for White, stepping onto a plane can feel to him like he's stepping into a warzone, and how no amount of "just do it" or "suck it up" can make planes not feel like absolute hell for him. (Just using the plane thing as an example - I get that his thing is larger than that.) It's the triggers and the mental dysfunction that's really hard to grasp for those that have not dealt with it. Simple evasion of responsibility and accountability is not hard to grasp - you see this every day, from all kinds of people. That actually is very mundane, and very old.

As for throwing away millions - people have thrown away far more than that in the name of not accepting responsibility. I don't know why it'd be any different for White. And even then, I'm not sure whether I'd say he's throwing it away because of this. Even in a best-case scenario for White in terms of his health, maybe life in the NBA just isn't to his temperament. I don't think there's anything wrong with that. Perhaps it's just a bad fit for him.

He should not be commenting himself because he doesn't seem to gauge just how out of touch he is.
The Rockets are not acting as if they are unwilling to work with him but his attitude seems to be they have to meet his needs whether reasonable or not. His argument is that the Rockets are not enlightened as an organization friendly to the mentally ill. First of all, his problems may arguably not fall into the category of mental illness but something less severe. I am assuming the law protects mentally ill in the workplace but does not specify that the employer may not require airplane travel. For example, he could easily hold a job that requires no travel at all. I agree that the Rockets and their attorneys and medical staff are probably well acquainted with all the issues surrounding this case.

Re: Royce White refuses D league

The Houston Rockets have yet to take action in regards to Royce White not reporting to their D-League affiliate.
The Rockets are considering a suspension for White.
White worked out last week with basketball staff intern Derrick Alston.

Re: Royce White refuses D league

I just get more confused each time RW puts out a statement. I thought the bus for any game that could be driven to without missing meetings and shoot around had solved the problem. Then the bus ride to the D league for TC became a problem, then the regular practice became a problem. And now it seems RW has decided with his doctors that he cannot play basketball and remain safe, at all. His assignment to the D league team should have been a good 2nd step from having a personal workout partner. That would ease him into games with no travel problems(since he has the bus), though with the loss of teammate time while traveling to games. He refuses to do that. If these things are true? Houston should suspend him without pay until he reports to play. Or just cut him. Maybe RW just wants to be paid and not show up? Maybe he needs to be promised a starting position and a certain amount of mpg. Maybe he should replace McHale since he's proven to be a much better player than Kevin was...Oh!

Re: Royce White refuses D league

Really, Anthem? You're actually a well-respected member of this board so I'd expect different from you.

Does it seem like Royce bases his sense of self-worth and value on the opinions of others? Half of his time on Twitter is spent ReTweeting people who degrade him and say they wish he would just kill himself already. The other half is spent talking about changing society's collective conception, or misconception, of mental illness. Not exactly a lot of "me, myself, and I" self-aggrandizing talk.

We know very little about this situation and what's going on behind the scenes. The little we do know is mainly through a biased filter, either through Royce or the Rockets, who both want, naturally, to come out of this ugly situation looking the better.

Unless you sit down with Royce as a trained psychiatrist, over many hours and sessions, let's refrain from throwing around diagnoses, please.

Re: Royce White refuses D league

Really, Anthem? You're actually a well-respected member of this board so I'd expect different from you.

Does it seem like Royce bases his sense of self-worth and value on the opinions of others? Half of his time on Twitter is spent ReTweeting people who degrade him and say they wish he would just kill himself already. The other half is spent talking about changing society's collective conception, or misconception, of mental illness. Not exactly a lot of "me, myself, and I" self-aggrandizing talk.

We know very little about this situation and what's going on behind the scenes. The little we do know is mainly through a biased filter, either through Royce or the Rockets, who both want, naturally, to come out of this ugly situation looking the better.

Unless you sit down with Royce as a trained psychiatrist, over many hours and sessions, let's refrain from throwing around diagnoses, please.

Royce needs to hire a better filter as right now the current one is not doing a good job of presenting his side in a way that will get people on his side.As of right now he has presented himself as a victim, not as someone who is doing his best to fight threw a terrible situation. One gets people to call you a pussy, the other gets people to sympathize with you.

Re: Royce White refuses D league

Anxiety disorder is a real, debilitating disorder. There's no question about it. It's a disease, not something that one can control. To suggest otherwise is insensitive.

However... Royce White has more going on than a simple anxiety disorder. He has a criminal record, and some sketchy decision making in his past that's caused him to never really be settled throughout his basketball career.

So the truth is somewhere in-between here. Anxiety is a real issue. But he also has displayed selfishness and carelessness in some of his decision making, which makes him a really challenging one to bet on.

At least with DeMarcus Cousins, he's just a gregarious numbskull that can't control his emotions. This is a different circumstance.

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Re: Royce White refuses D league

First off, Kuq is right. You can't properly diagnose from a distance. I don't know the kid.

Next off, I'd bet that most NBA players are probably a bit narcissistic. Heck, I generally assume that anybody under the age of 40 (including myself) is a narcissist until proven otherwise. So is he MORE narcissistic than other NBA players, or the general population? Who knows. There's a reason the current DSM does away with this "disorder."

Half of his time on Twitter is spent ReTweeting people who degrade him and say they wish he would just kill himself already.

is a bigger red flag than anything I've seen so far. That's seriously messed up, and not in a "general anxiety disorder" way. That's industrial-grade "look-at-me-and-affirm-me" behavior. I believe the hot recent term is "crowdsourcing the superego."

Re: Royce White refuses D league

My biggest gripe with Royce is that he isn't proposing any solutions. He's writing these frequent, vague, rambling statements about how the Rockets need to do more for him but hasn't been willing to meet them halfway or make compromises of any sort. Personally, I think they should be able to void his contract and keep his rights until he decides to make a serious attempt to play in the NBA.

Re: Royce White refuses D league

First off, Kuq is right. You can't properly diagnose from a distance. I don't know the kid.

Next off, I'd bet that most NBA players are probably a bit narcissistic. Heck, I generally assume that anybody under the age of 40 (including myself) is a narcissist until proven otherwise. So is he MORE narcissistic than other NBA players, or the general population? Who knows. There's a reason the current DSM does away with this "disorder."

But this:

is a bigger red flag than anything I've seen so far. That's seriously messed up, and not in a "general anxiety disorder" way. That's industrial-grade "look-at-me-and-affirm-me" behavior. I believe the hot recent term is "crowdsourcing the superego."

I'd disagree with your general assumption, but that might say more about me being somewhat of an idealist who believes in inherent goodness rather than whether your assumption is correct or incorrect. "Who knows" is probably the best way to put that. The removal of narcissistic personality disorder from the DSM, along with a bunch of other personality "disorders" is a step in the right direction.

I don't believe Royce intends to seek attention or receive affirmation by ReTweeting the hate he receives. I believe it's more about showing that these people exist in the world. His ReTweets highlight the reasons for why a stigma exists around mental illness, particularly the general ignorance exemplified by the common "suck it up" and "be a man" responses. However, Royce, with his criminal background and lack of transparency or specificity, is hardly the exemplary leader required to wage war on such a powerful and pervasive stigma.

Re: Royce White refuses D league

I'd disagree with your general assumption, but that might say more about me being somewhat of an idealist who believes in inherent goodness rather than whether your assumption is correct or incorrect. "Who knows" is probably the best way to put that. The removal of narcissistic personality disorder from the DSM, along with a bunch of other personality "disorders" is a step in the right direction.

I don't believe Royce intends to seek attention or receive affirmation by ReTweeting the hate he receives. I believe it's more about showing that these people exist in the world. His ReTweets highlight the reasons for why a stigma exists around mental illness, particularly the general ignorance exemplified by the common "suck it up" and "be a man" responses. However, Royce, with his criminal background and lack of transparency or specificity, is hardly the exemplary leader required to wage war on such a powerful and pervasive stigma.

Re: Royce White refuses D league

HOUSTON -- The Houston Rockets suspended first-round pick Royce White for "refusing to provide services" required by his contract on Sunday.
General manager Daryl Morey said Sunday that the team will continue to work with White in hopes of finding a resolution.

White
White will not be paid during his suspension.
White refused his assignment to Houston's D-League affiliate a week ago. The 16th overall pick in the June draft has spent most of the season on Houston's inactive list while he and the team figure out how to handle his anxiety disorder and overall mental health.
White has been vocal on Twitter throughout this saga, and he continued to voice his opinions on the website after the announcement Sunday.
"What's suspending me suppose to do. I've been away from the team for a month ½. Guess we want to give it a title to shift accountability," he tweeted.
That was the first in a string of tweets on the subject, and he then addressed Morey in the second one.
"Threat, Fines, Suspension won't deter me. I won't accept illogical health decisions, I will keep asking for safety & health. #BeWell @dmorey," he tweeted.
The Rockets chose White in the first round after a season at Iowa State, where he helped the Cyclones to their first NCAA tournament berth in seven years by leading the team in scoring (13.4 points a game), rebounds (9.3), assists (5.0), steals (1.2) and blocks (0.9).
The 6-foot-8 White missed the first week of training camp to work with the Rockets to create an arrangement to deal with his anxiety disorder within the demands of the NBA's travel schedule. He and the team agreed to allow him to travel by bus to some games while he confronted his fear of flying and obsessive-compulsive disorder. He flew to Detroit with the team for the season opener and then traveled by bus to Atlanta and Memphis for games.
But he soon stopped participating in team activities and said on Twitter that dealing with his mental health took precedence over his NBA career. Then came his decision last Sunday to refuse his assignment to the D-League. Despite that decision, he said then that he still hopes to return to basketball in the future.
"And daily I'm just trying to stand up for my health and make sure that my health isn't neglected in an operation where, me and you both know, it's mostly about money," White said in a recent interview with Sirius/XM Radio. "And I'm kind of the only one that's going to sit in the situation and say, 'Hey, let's put the health thing first.' "

Re: Royce White refuses D league

I'm not surprised if he has anxiety or depression. Many people have it. But refusing to go to the D league isn't going to help him. He should be able to "get that". It's not a mental disorder and he cannot make anxiety an excuse for this.

Re: Royce White refuses D league

BTW, a torn ACL is a medical condition as well. I feel for his condition, but the fact he has anxiety or depression doesn't make him special. He's physically (and it is physical) unable to do his job. Life's tough and this guy is going to have to grow up like most people who face this issue.

Re: Royce White refuses D league

I expect a response from the union on this within a day or 2. I know they're legally required to represent the players since they take their money, but I'd hope they'd also consider what's fair for all the players. At the very least they should just advise White he doesn't have a leg to stand on and needs to report to work.

Re: Royce White refuses D league

I don't have a problem with Royce wanting to put his health before his NBA career. If he's serious about getting his disorders under control, I wish him the best.

I also don't have a problem with the Rockets suspending him and I think they might've waited too long to do it. He's bordering on insubordination. Why can't he practice with the team? Why can't he practice with the D-League team? If his anxiety is so bad that he can't do those things, he should agree to take an unpaid leave.

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Re: Royce White refuses D league

I really am unaware of this guy and his problems until recently when everything just got out of hand. I just don't get why he ever considered entering the NBA. Let's say everything about his anxiety is true. But he knows that flights are necessary in the NBA. If you have a great fear of heights, would you consider jobs that require you to be on high places like cleaning windows outside in tall buildings? It is either you defy your fears or limitations and man up to the job at hand or you accept your limitations and find a work that will not cause your anxieties or fears to build up more.

Re: Royce White refuses D league

Alot of you are giving this guy too much benefit. There was one point where he complained that not getting regular PT was causing him to have too much anxiety. He has created and fed this false reality of how things should work, and he expects the Rockets to conform. Yet it seems like he hasn't offered up any real solutions, and is using his disability as a crutch. This guy doesn't want to go to the D league, but the D league travels by bus almost exclusively. Which would be good for him while he develops his game further. Baby steps, but this guy expects some sort of immediate solution from the Rockets. Pretty silly.